Advertiser/user balancing act

With the operating system now complete and off to manufacturers, the Do Not Track default has officially been baked-in and Microsoft has taken to its blog to explain how it will work.

The express set-up option in Windows 8 will give users "prominent notice" that DNT is turned on, while the customise set-up option allows them to toggle the DNT setting on or off as they desire.

Controversy

Microsoft first announced the controversial move earlier this year and Brendon Lynch, chief privacy officer, says it went down well – with Microsoft users, at least.

"We have conducted additional consumer research that confirmed strong support for our 'consumer-privacy-first' approach to DNT," he wrote.

"We have also discussed our point of view with many interested parties, who want to learn more about how our customers will first experience and control the DNT setting in IE.

"Our approach to DNT in IE10 is part of our commitment to privacy by design and putting people first. We believe consumers should have more control over how data about their online behavior is tracked, shared, and used."

Do Not Track is the buzz-phrase in web privacy at the moment, with sites like Twitter and most web browsers (but not Chrome) embracing the scheme which allows users to indicate that they prefer not to be tracked around the web.

Third parties like advertisers often keep tabs on people's behaviour online in order to target ads and gauge the effectiveness of their marketing messages.